I bought these for my 6 almost 7 year old. For context he is in a size 2 shoe but always complains that his shies are to tight even when they are the right size. After reading the reviews about the strap being smaller than expected I decided to size up just so he wouldn't have an excuse to complain that using that strap made his toes hit the front or something. I however have very small feet and can wear kids sizes. I wear a women's size 6 (hey dudes are size 5 for whatever reason) and I usually can fit a size 4 1/2 kids shoe comfortablely. I bought these in a size 3. My son says "they fit as long as they are in sports mode". As long as he uses the strap they stay on and are a bit big for him otherwise. I put them on just to run to the bathroom at the beach and my toes hit the ends and I can't use the strap. This is what I wanted! They are true to size in the foot bed. The way I see it, is the strap is a "half size". So in theory, my sons true to fit size is a 2. But I got a 3. The strap use makes it a 2 1/2.I've never had real crocks so I'm not sure what the material is like. I have a set of off brands for me where the material is stiff. These are not as stuff as the ones I have. They are softer but still durable. My son says they "look cool" and hes excited to find charms he likes to put in the holes. We hot the brighter blue ones and the color is exactly as the picture was.Overall they are perfect easy slip on shoes, easy to wash off and dry off fast, great for beaches, rivers, lakes, gardens, outdoor play shoes. If they had a bigger size I'd buy myself some too.